Anastasia Bouchard and the Rising Tide
by EvilAIUBEROverlord
Summary: This story takes place approximately 17 years after the main events of Deathly Hollows. This follows a next generation, though old favorites will likely appear in some capacity. Peace has largely taken over the wizarding world. Voldermort and his Death Eaters are a thing of the past. But evil never truly dies.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: An Average Family**

The Bouchard family was to all observers a rather normal family. There really did not appear to be anything overly interesting about them. They did own a large home a few miles outside of Anchorage, Alaska. The home sat at the end of its own private drive. There was a fairly large fence around the yard, a few "Posted No Trespassing" signs. The Bouchards were a private family after all. The home was predominately wood, reminiscent of a wooden hunting cabin. They had a large three car garage that fed right into their home.

The home had two floors. Entering through the double front doors would lead to a large open foyer, a large crystal and glass chandelier warmly lit the room. The black and white tile entry way was impressive, but not ostentatious. At the end of the hallway there was a large stairway that led up to the second floor. The upstairs hallway was all blood-wood, the vibrant red hues, in-spite of its rather unfortunate name, set a wonderful contrast in the dark winters. At the top of the stairs was a carpeted recreation room for the Bouchards' children. At the far end of the hallway a large master-suite. Each child had their own room, rather typical for a fifteen year old boy and an eleven year old girl. They also had an extra bedroom for any guests that might visit, though all in all the Bouchards did not much like entertaining people.

On the ground floor they had a large family room. There was a large black leather couch, with ironwood feet, a love seat of the same style, a large black reclining chair. In the family room there was a nice white carpet. The family would often spend cold evening curled up near the stone fireplace and watching television. The modern kitchen would open into a dining area. Everything was perfectly normal for the most part, nothing particular special about this home or its inhabitants.

This suburban dream, really all began with Alexandre Bouchard, the patriarch of the Bouchard family. He was a tall man at 78 inches. He was athletic, spending several hours daily working out in their own personal fitness center. He was square-shouldered and had a stern face. If one were to look him in his fierce blue eyes, it would almost feel as if he was staring into their very soul. He looked like he had a temper of a thousand fires, just ready to boil over, but nothing could be farther from the truth. He was a very kindly man. His children really never wanted for anything. At 37 years of age short cropped hair was still black, but a few strands of gray were starting to show. His nose was crooked, an unfortunate event a few years earlier left the tip of his nose a bit left of center. He also had a small scar running under his left cheek. They could give a bit of frightening appearance to those who were unfamiliar with him.

Many would think it odd that at his age, he was already retired. But he did not exactly have a normal career. He was born on September 3, 1976, in Grenoble, France to Marie O'Malley of Belfast, who had fallen in love with a French Soldier. Alexandre grew up playing hockey, and eventually after he participated in the 1994 Winter Olympics he was drafted to play professionally in the United States. After 16 years he decided to that he had finished and he would stay home to spend time with his family. It was at that time the family up and moved to Anchorage.

Natasha Bouchard, the matriarch of the Bouchard Family was also a recent immigrant to the United States. She met Alexandre in 1994 during the Lillehammer Olympics, she was a Russian Figure Skater at the time. They had continued a long distance relationship, and eventually during the 1998 Olympics Alexandre proposed to her. She was a tall woman, she was about 71 inches. She was very lean, even during her husband's career she maintained her own skating routine and practices. Her hair was a very light blond, nearly white. She had gray eyes, rather uncommon in the United States, but in her home village outside of Pskov they were not uncommon. She would often seem cold and aloof, no doubt a result of her time in the Soviet Athletic Machine, though she cared deeply for both her children. Alexandre and Natasha had led a very quiet life until December 31, 1999. At 23:59 exactly was when John Bouchard was born.

John Bouchard, 15 years later, was very quickly resembling his father. He was already nearly as tall as his father. He had jet black hair, but was still a bit lanky. His eyes were light blue. If one were to look at John and his father next to each other they would easily conclude their relation. He never spent much time at home though. He had both his father and mother's affinity for the ice. He had spent much of his time playing hockey like his father, and had earlier been drafted into a Junior Professional League. That largely left Anastasia Ekaterina Bouchard alone. But all in all they were still an average family of athletes.

* * *

It was February 17 at about 7:30. It would still be at least an hour before the sun would rise that day. Anastasia, Ana to her friends—if she had any—should have been by all accounts a normal 10 year old—11 years she corrected herself as she looked in the mirror, as today was her 11th birthday—girl. She could not help, but think that something must have been wrong with her. She continued looking in the mirror, while some of her features were certainly a bit unusual in this part of the world, there was nothing unnatural about them. She had long nearly white blond hair which she had tied back into a ponytail that morning. Her eyes were also a cold, steely gray. She had clearly inherited them from her mother, but the look was certainly enough to be slightly unsettling to the traditional notions of her previous school. It certainly did not help endear her to her peers, nor did it help that she had this kind of presence in any given room. Perhaps it was her height, she would often stand a whole head taller than even the boys her age. But it was something more than that she felt. Her height alone would not have been reason for her parents to have sequestered her away like this. She tried to reason through it once more as she had over the past two years.

* * *

It began as any normal school day. Ana's parents had dropped her off at 7:50 on Monday, January 16, 2012, ten minutes before homeroom would begin. She walked in to Miss Aspen's Fourth Grade homeroom. Her classmates had been whispering as she came in, and the room became completely silent, and for a group of eight and nine year olds to suddenly stop talking, something surely had to be amiss. When she walked into the class, she remember thinking that her friends acted with almost primal fear. Surely she could not be the source of this fear? She was just an ordinary child. Everyone had become incredibly aloof and distant from her. But she was never the most popular child in school, so the fact that they all ignored her was not something for too much cause for concern. Other than a few glares there was nothing particularly of note that day. When she had gotten home, she sat down to tell her parents about the events of that day. They seemed to shrug it off and told her to pay the whispers no mind.

The next day is when things seemed to accelerate. Ana had always been subjected to bullying for one reason or another. She was after all different from the rest of the students, but she always usually had one person or another to help her through everything. But this time was different. Everyone the next day went after her. The names were ones she had heard before, freak, gorilla, and other such things. She never could understand the gorilla chide, she may have been tall, but appearances alone, she was almost waif-like, very thin, but she never appeared emaciated, just very petite. The freak insult was nothing new or unusual, her hair and eyes always stood out. But this time it was different, because it was not just a few children, but all of them. The verbal insults continued until that Thursday afternoon. That is when the students became physical.

It had started minimally enough, a few light shoves here, a few pushes there. Things turned significantly darker at recess that day. They were running around the field when the largest boy in the class shoved her hard. Her high center of gravity allowed her to be knocked over with little difficulty. She went crashing head-first into a tree. It opened deep gash above her left eye—she paused a moment looking into the mirror, two years later and the scar was still quite visible—and it began bleeding profusely. That was when things began to get very unusual.

Now in January it was not exactly uncommon for there to be snow in Anchorage, but the day was actually a bit warmer and the weather reports had called only for a light drizzle of rain, not the blizzard that appeared out of nowhere. The snow began coming down heavily almost immediately when Ana had been struck. There was no visibility. Then things got incredibly quiet, all the howling of the blizzard seemed to be turned off. Ana felt nothing at first, then it came to her. _Fear, no terror would be more accurate. Fear of what? Ana was not afraid in-fact the storm seemed welcoming to her, like a shield to protect her. Then she felt it, cries pleas, for help, sheer terror was surrounding her, but was it her? She could not tell_. Then two words came to her, she was staring at her teacher as blood dripped down from her face when she heard them, or thought she heard them. _Freak. Monster._ Ana could feel no more as she collapsed into darkness

The next thing she remembered was startling awake in a cold, sterile, hospital bed. Her parents were there, so was her brother. She felt comforted, but her head ached. The doctor told her how she had been injured. When the sudden blizzard appeared out of nowhere she had run into the tree the doctor told her. _Lies_. She thought to herself. As she would find out from her parents later all the students and the teacher had told the doctor that. Her cut had been more severe than initially expected, it required seven stitches to close up. She would likely have the scar for the rest of her life.

After she had been discharged from the hospital her parents brought her home and sought to find out what really happened. Ana was uncertain how to tell them. The last words still stung fresh in her mind. _Monster_. She was afraid, but she tried to explain it to them. She told them everything. Her mother held her closely as she told the story, her father just watched her. She collapsed crying after telling her story, she felt that she truly was a monster. Her parents held her closely and brought her to her bed. They just sat there with her for a while before at length her father finally broke the silence.

"Well, Ana." Her father started. "It seems that that school is no longer the right fit for you."

"We should remove her at once from that environment." Her mother said in heavily accented English. She continued, "The problem is though that there are no other schools in the area."

"Then," her father said running his hand through his hair, "we ought to hire her a tutor them."

Ana was puzzled. It almost appeared as if her parents knew what she already thought, that she was responsible for the blizzard. And they seemed to know exactly what the trigger was. Several days had passed, her parents were always with her. They were worried, but it seemed to be so much more than just parental concern over her injuries. Her suspicions were confirmed on the evening of January 29.

Her parents approached her concern clear on their face. "Ana," they both said. "We do not know how, but we think you may have caused that blizzard after you got hurt." Ana looked devastated, tears were beginning to well up in her eyes. Her mother softly cradled her, "Don't worry, it will be alright." She said grasping Ana in a hug so deep that she felt that she would never be let go. Her mother's warmth inspiring her.

Her father continued, choosing his words carefully. "Several years ago, though mercifully you do not remember, there was a fire. It happened when you were furious at something or another." He paused. "I think recent events confirm it. This was not the first time something strange happened around you. Aside from the fire, there were other things." Ana's eyes widened, but she was grateful that her father chose not to elaborate further.

"There is good news, Ange." Ana was worried now, her father never used that nickname for her. It was reserved only for dire news. "Your mother and I, we think we know how to prevent this from happening again." _So there is hope_, Ana thought to herself. Her mother gripped her even tighter.

"We think that emotion triggers it."

* * *

Ana continued looking into the mirror. And so for the past two years Ana had lived with a new mantra. _Conceal. Don't feel._ Ana could not help but think that it was something out a movie, just without the happy ending. She was content though. It had been difficult for the first while. But the routine of studying with her tutor had been enough to allow her to sink into the new emotionless existence. She felt empty, but this emptiness was better than allowing the monster in her to come out.

But now was not the time for such weighty thoughts. Today was her 11th birthday. She was not happy per-se, as she tried to keep all emotions from her mind, but she was excited. A birthday was still a birthday. And today, Ana felt was going to be a special day.

At about midday a tabby cat sat on the edge of the Bouchard's fence watching the house, with an almost human-like intelligence. No one could have predicted what happened next.


	2. Chapter 2

Introductory Author's Note: I realize I did not include this in the first Chapter, but I will do so now. I make no ownership claims on anything used in this story. While many characters will be original and the plot will be original, this is still a work of fiction based on the World of Harry Potter. I do not claim any ownership over those characters, plots, and other background information. I do hope you enjoy this work.

* * *

Chapter 2: Don't Be Average, Be Exceptional

The rest of the day was largely uneventful. Ana had a rather quiet birthday with her parents. Her mother made a nice home-cooked meal for dinner. It was a rather unexceptional birthday for Ana, until 8:00 that evening. After finishing her slice of cake, it was a two-layered, double chocolate cake, she went up stairs to her room to make use of one of her gifts, a brand new desktop computer. It had not been more than twenty minutes when a loud crack, as if a car was backfiring right at the Bouchard's front door. Ana and her parents had rushed to front door, where they heard two male voices speaking. "Ain't this quaint. These muggles thinkin' this door'll protect 'em." The first spoke with a thick Southern Accent, and his tone was almost flippant.

"Enough." Said the second with only the slightest hint of a German accent. "Stick to the plan. This should be a simple enough task even for one as challenged as you."

"Ellie ain't got nothing to worry about—"

"You would do well," the German began, "to remember to show Lady Eleonore the appropriate respect. If she heard you speaking of her in such a frivolous manner, she would drain you to within an inch of your life, then proceed to feed what was left of you to her dogs. We have a mission and you would do well to remember it."

"Oh, do shut the hell up Henreich. She ain't here, and like you said, we got a job." At that moment the front door was engulfed by light, and then reduced to a fine mist. The first man walked into the door. He was several inches shorter than Alexandre, there was a madness in his green eyes. He had a large gaping scar going down across his face. He was grinning a sickly smile. What teeth were not a nauseating yellow were missing, on his bald head there was a strange tattoo, a shield with what appeared to be three daggers surrounded by a snake biting its own tale. He was holding a small stick in his left hand. He was also wearing robes of crimson red. He opened his mouth to speak, reeking of stale tobacco. "Seems like y'all have gone and made this easy on us."

"Enough," the one called Henreich said. He was about the same height as Alexandre. His black hair was closely cropped, there was a look of determination in his brown eyes, his clean shave face showed no signs of emotion. The only thing that really appeared off about him, short of breaking and entering, was his attire. Like the other man he too was wearing a robe, though his was a dark black, and he was wearing a short gray cloak that came down to the middle of his back, it was fastened with a silver clasp that was the same design of the bald man's tattoo. "We must now act quickly before MACUSA realizes what we are doing." With a flick of his wrist a brown stick appeared in his right hand. He pointed it at them and with a quick flick of his wrist, ropes appeared out of nowhere and bound all three Bouchards, as if by magic.

"You have to understand," he addressed the family. "This is nothing personal, but what my lady decrees, my lady gets."

At this point Ana was terrified, she could tell her parents were as well. All they knew was that they were in grave danger from these strange people. The German turned back to his companion. "Mr. Petty, if you would be so kind, kill the parents, take the girl. I shall ensure that MACUSA is not yet on our trail." With that he stepped out of the house.

A foul grin crept across the other man's face, he had been waiting for that order. "With extreme pleasure." He pointed his wand at Ana's parents. A cat with markings that almost resembled a pair of glasses walked into the house. At that moment several things happened at once.

"_Avada K—_"

"No!" Ana cried out, she could no longer hold in her emotion. Her fear, anger, and hatred towards these men exploded out at once. The man's wand exploded in a torrent of flame throwing the man to the floor, writhing and screaming in pain, or rather he would have been had he any voice left. But standing nearby where the cat had been was a stern and severe looking woman with graying hair and emerald-green robes. She had her own wand pointed at the man, the left side of his face severely burned. The German returned into the house, shouting, "I gave you one simple task. Kill the girl's muggle parents and grab h—" His eyes fall on the woman in green. "Oh cr—" He collapsed in a heap after being hit in the chest by a beam of red light from the woman.

* * *

The rest of the evening had been very busy. Shortly after the older woman had seemingly transformed from a simple house cat, Ana was still trying to figure out that trick, eight or nine other people, each strange in their own right came through the house. All of them were wearing basically the same thing. A gold colored fitted shirt, dark blue pants, black leather shoes, and a brown leather long coat. They all had a silver badge on their overcoat, but Ana never got a good look at it before they left. Now only one of them was left. She was a young woman, maybe mid twenties, her black hair was tied back in a loose ponytail that was maybe long enough to reach her shoulders. She had a stern, by kind face. She was obviously in charge of the brown-coated people

"Well, Minerva." She said to the older woman. "I'm pretty sure this was not the way you wanted to introduce our world to these people."

"On that you are correct Ms. Sawyer." The older woman said. "I do not suppose you would be willing to leave while I explain Miss Bouchard's situation to her and her parents?"

"Sorry, any time there is a Wizard-Muggle attack we need a full statement. I can wait outside if you want, but I can't leave until I've spoken with them."

"That will not be necessary Ms. Sawyer." The older woman pushed her glasses a bit further up her nose. "Besides I daresay you know more about the situation that occurred here tonight than I do."

"Right, well I suppose we best get to it, this is already going to be a long night for me, no need to prolong it."

Ana and her parents were sitting around their kitchen table, waiting for the two women to come over and explain what had just happened. The older one pulled out her wand, as had been explained shortly after the attack, and conjured up two chairs. There was an awkward pause, before someone finally spoke.

"Now I generally do not like to curse in front of my daughter." Alexandre said. "So, Ana cover your ears." She did so. "But what the f—". The word was cut off by Natasha letting out a very audible gasp, she was unaccustomed to hearing her husband speak like that. "—are you doing in my house?" Ana had let her hands fall from her ears.

The younger woman spoke first. "That is a simple question for me to answer. I am Jennifer Sawyer, Commander of the Division One of the Magical Strategic Response Team, MSRT for short, a division of the Magical Bureau of Investigation." She looked around seeing if that would sink in. She continued. "In short we are basically the same as the FBI that you are at least partially familiar with. The difference is that we answer to MACUSA or the Magical Congress of the United States of America. More specifically Division One deals with Wizard-Muggle crimes."

"What nonsense is this? I have never heard of this organization." Alexandre said.

"Mr. Bouchard, that is because we do our job well." Sawyer said. "I am sure that my compatriot here will explain that more later. Basically what happened tonight was a violation of multiple international and domestic statutes. Suffice it to say that Misters Petty and Schwarze-Kunst will be going away for a long time." She paused. "As for why we were here, we received a call that a muggle family was under attack, and so we were deployed. Though it seems the situation had resolved itself before we got here. As to your next question, the reason I am still here is that I need to ask you a few questions before I can leave."

Ana could not tell what her parents thought, but to her it at least made some sense. After all those two men were certainly not normal, they had powers that seemed like magic. Ana was thinking to herself when the older woman spoke.

"My name is Minerva McGonagall. I am the Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." She paused, a slight look of pride crossed her face. "And if I may say it is the finest school of magic in the world."

Natasha spoke up. "That still does not answer the question as to why you are here. Not that we are ungrateful for the help you provided."

"Ms. Bouchard, the reason I am here," Professor McGonagall continued. "Is that your daughter, Anastasia is a witch."

"I can't be a witch, I'm just average." Ana said.

"Just average you say? Did you ever make something happen without knowing how you did it? Did you ever experience something strange?"

Ana thought for a second then came to a realization. "The blizzard!" She exclaimed.

"It actually does make some sense when you think about it." Alexandre said. "All those strange occurrences, we couldn't explain. We knew Ana was gifted, we just didn't know with what."

"You see." McGonagall said.

"But is that even possible?" Natasha asked. "I mean neither of us are like that, nor is her older brother John."

"While we still have not been able to adequately explain the appearance of Muggle-Borns they do exist. It is not unheard of for there to be a magic sibling and a non-magic sibling." McGonagall said thinking back to the mother of a certain famous wizard who is now the Head Auror. "And I am here to personally provide Anastasia's Acceptance Letter." With that she pulled out an envelope.

Ms. Anastasia Ekaterina Bouchard

The Second Bedroom on the Left

1138 Kodiak Drive

Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Professor McGonagall then handed the letter to Anastasia. She opened it.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmistress Minerva McGonagall

(Order of Merlin, First Class)

Dear Miss Bouchard,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours Sincerely,

Alesdair O'Neill

Deputy Headmaster

There was a second sheet of paper in the envelope:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Uniform:

A minimum of three pairs of plain black work robes

One plain black pointed hat

One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or comparable)

One winter cloak (black with silver fastenings)

Course Books:

Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1, _Miranda Goshawk_

A History of Magic, _Bathilda Bagshot_

Magical Theory, _Adalbert Waffling_

Transfiguration Basics, _Oriana Shift_

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, _Phyllida Spore_

Magical Drafts and Potions, _Arsenius Jigger_

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, _Newt Scamander_

Beginner's Defense Manual, _Alesdair O'Neill_

Other Equipment

1 Wand

1 Cauldron, Pewter Standard Size 2

1 Set glass or crystal phials

1 Telescope

1 Set Brass Scales

Students may also bring one owl, cat, toad, or rat.

First years are not allowed their own broom.

* * *

Ana had finished reading the letter, and was excited, but wondering where they would be able to find all this material.

"This is all well and good, but where exactly is this school?" Alexandre asked.

"Hogwarts is located in Scotland. And I understand your hesitation. To that end before I arrived here I inquired as to whether or not Ana would be able to attend the Salem Witches Institute in Massachusetts, which is the school in the United States that she would be allowed to go to." McGonagall said. "As it was explained to me, sometimes Muggle-borns slip through the cracks there. Add to the fact that both you and your wife are not Naturalized Citizens yet, there is no record of Ana for the school and she may not attend. Further complicating the issue is your own citizenry. Beauxbatons in France, might admit Anastasia, but it is no closer than Hogwarts. The other possibility would be Koldovstorits in Russia, but they do not admit Muggle-borns."

Ana's father just looked at Professor McGonagall as she was explaining. She continued, "I can assure you that we will take great care of Anastasia. And she has been on the roster since she was born."

"And if we send Ana to your school you will keep an eye on her?" Natasha asked.

"Two when I am able," McGonagall said with a smile. "But as headmistress I have many duties. However I can assure you that I will have another professor ready to mentor Ana should she desire it."

Ana's parents looked to her. Her father spoke first. "Well ultimately _mon petit Ange_, it is your choice. We always knew you were exceptional. It sounds like a good fit."

"Will we ever see her again?" Natasha asked, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Good heavens! Of course you can." McGonagall said. "You are not sending her away permanently. Hogwarts is no more than a boarding school. She is welcome to visit during the Christmas holidays and she will be sent home after the year ends."

Her mother breathed a sigh of relief. "Well Ana. As your father said it is your choice."

"I don't know." Ana said, she was unsure. "I mean I am just average, there is nothing special about me."

"_Ange—"_

"I just want to be normal. I want to be average."

This time it was Jennifer who spoke up. "Kid. You're never going to be average. Hate to break it to you. Hell your parents are supportive." A hint of bitterness crept into her voice. "That's a hell of a lot better than most of us Muggle-borns here in the States get. My parents thought I was some devil-spawn bent on creating Hell on Earth. You won't get a better deal."

Ana's thoughts went back to her last school. _Monster_. She could remember that well enough. She was ostracized and forced to be alone. To bury her emotions. To lock herself away from the world. Try as she might she never would be normal. At least not normal for her peers.

"And remember," her father spoke. "A Bouchard always strives for greatness. Avoid mediocrity. Be exceptional."

Ana had decided. "Alright. I'll accept and go to this school. I'll make you both proud."

"No matter what you decided we would have been proud." Ana's mother said.

"Now about this owl…" Ana started.

"You need not send one. As I am the Headmistress I shall carry your acceptance back with me."

The group talked for a while. Ana had lost track of time by then. Professor McGonagall gave a very condensed rundown of the Wizarding World, Jennifer would occasionally chip in, usually on how the United States did things differently. At some length Professor McGonagall pulled out a pocket-watch. "I am truly sorry," she began. "It has been great meeting you all, but I must really attend to my other duties. Now remember, on March 3 a representative from the school will be along to help you acquire your school things. They will also have your ticket to get to the school. They will explain all the details then. Mr. and Ms. Bouchard, Anastasia, I must take my leave of you." And with that Professor McGonagall walked out the door.

* * *

"Now, I realize you all have had a trying day, and a lot thrown at you." Jennifer said, he overcoat had now been haphazardly tossed aside on the empty chair. "But I think that McGonagall did a good job at telling you what's what. But if you have any other pressing questions I'll try to answer them."

"What exactly is a Muggle?" Natasha had asked.

"Right. Guess we didn't really explain that." Jennifer said sighing. "Well it's actually pretty simple. Muggles are non-magic people. Anything else?" She looked around seeing if there were any other questions. "No? Good. Right. Down to business. I have a few questions for you all."

The Bouchards nodded. "First. I need to figure out how they got here. I've been able to narrow it down to either portkey or apparition. So did you hear anything, or see anything strange before they broke down your front door?"

"Well," Alexandre started. "I did hear what sounded like a car backfiring, but that's not exactly unusual."

"A car backfiring? How long before the incident did you hear that?"

"Not long, maybe a minute or two at the most."

She frowned.

"You don't exactly seem surprised." Natasha said.

"Well," Jennifer sighed, "Truth be told, I'm not. It means that they apparated here. It's untraceable."

Ana watched as the adults were talking. She only was paying partial attention. She had quite a bit on her mind. She finally realized that she was not a monster, or a freak. She was normal, at least in one way. She was sure she heard her name pop up once or twice in the discussion, but she paid it no mind. She stirred from her thoughts when the woman spoke up again. "Now one last question. Did you notice anything else? A name perhaps?"

Ana's parents looked at each other then back at Jennifer. "Not to our knowledge." Alexandre said. "But it was a bit chaotic."

"I understand," Jennifer had a look of relief wash across her face. "Well then I must be off." She turned to head out the door.

"Wait." Ana said. "I think I may have heard a name."

Jennifer stopped, and turning back her face almost blanching. "Well…"

"The one said something about Ellie not being worried or something like that." Ana said. "Then the other one yelled at him about showing proper respect to Lady Eleanor or something like that."

Jennifer had lost all color in her face at this point. "Could it have been Eleonore?"

Ana thought for a second. "Yeah maybe. That sounds rights."

"Damn it." Jennifer said her head sinking into her hand. "Damn it to hell." She shook her head. "This is bad."

"Who is this Eleonore?" Alexandre asked.

"I'm going to give you the abridged version." Jennifer said, head still shaking. "First not all wizards and witches are good. Some go bad. Some go real bad."

"So what is this Eleonore like a Wizard Criminal then?" Alexandre asked.

"She's a ghost."

"A ghost like a dead person?" Natasha asked.

"No. A ghost as in we don't know who she is. It started 14, maybe 15, maybe even 20 years ago, we don't really know." She paused. "But across Central Europe things started happening. A murder here, a kidnapping there. All very isolated, but they had one thing in common. Magicals were attacking Muggles. No one really pieced things together. One of the Muggles would be killed and a message would be written in their blood. It was always different, but there was one common theme." She took a breath, then continued. "They all said something to the effect of 'This thing has been condemned to die by order of the Blood Queen."

"So how do you know this is the same person?" Alexandre asked.

"Eventually they crossed the Atlantic and they slipped up. It was a grisly murder in Salem. Not far from the school there. Apparently one of the victims had actually been a magical in hiding, and had managed to incapacitate one of the attackers. The attacker was completely crazy, he kept saying that Eleonore would save him and we would rue the day we crossed the Blood Queen. He had the same kind tattoo your attacker had on his arm." She paused again. "And it fits their most recent disturbing MO. They have been specifically targeting Muggle-Borns. Killing the Muggles and kidnapping the magical child. We thought that the situation had been resolved. A few years ago, we got the jump on an attack, arrested the perpetrators, and then they stopped." She sighed. "My superiors at both the MBI and International Confederation of Wizards thought the situation was resolved. But I knew these lunatics would be back. And here they are."

"Will we be safe in sending Ana away to school then?" Natasha asked, a look of fear clearly in her eyes.

"I daresay your daughter will be far safer in Hogwarts than anywhere here in the United States at this point. Hogwarts has withstood the worst Dark Wizard in recent years. I would be more concerned about your safety."

"But they attackers are gone." Alexandre said.

"These are, but I doubt they are alone. But you do not need to worry. We have a Muggle Protection Division for just these cases. You'll have protection and you won't even know they there. And I'll get with my counterpart in Canada to ensure your son also is protected. But for what it is worth, I don't think they will try to attack you again."

"Well, Mr. and Ms. Bouchard, Anastasia. I am sorry for the intrusion. And now for my abrupt leave." She started walking towards the ruins of the door. With a quick flick of her wand remains rematerialized into a door. "That should be adequate tonight. But tomorrow I'll have someone from the Muggle Protection Office come by and secure your house properly. But for now I must beg my leave of you." With that she walked through the door and was gone. No one in the Bouchard House slept that night.


End file.
